I just reread the "vision" spell description.....says Altai needs to pose it in the form of a specific question.I'll get a Tanuki tale and a Vision for Altai up a little later this evening.
"Hmmmmm.... Lessee." Altai grabs the blade with both hands and closes his eyes. "This might get a little rough. So - 'Who made this sword, and what is its purpose?'"
Pip chats with their new friend
I like collecting tales of the places I visit. Would you like to swap some stories before retiring?
He hits you up for a tale.
"I love tales!"More tales to come, as I read up more on the campaign book.
Pip smiles
Fair is fair I suppose
He strums Lucille, taking up a light melody
"Once there was a farmer in my homeland named Rupert the Short. Now, for my countrymen to call someone 'short' you know they are short indeed! Now, the sad fact of things is Rupert took a lot of joshing for his height. You would think a small race such as mine would be more sensitive, but the opposite was true.
Now one fine autumn day, a giant came lumbering down from the mountains that bordered my country. He was an immense giant, even bigger than a normal one usually grows. Now, the local militia was called out, but this giant was armed wiith a giant mace of fell power. He scattered the militia like ninepins at a lawn bowl!
After a few days of maurading, no one dared to challenge the giant. He ate his way through several farms until he got to Rupert's farmstead. There he decided to take a short nap before resuming his pillaging
Rupert saw the giant leaning up against his barn, and being a clever chap, he had an idea. He waited until the giant was snoring, and he climbed up into his hayrick at the top of the barn. From there he went to the roof and made for the giant's ear
Now this large giant had some large hairy ears. Rupert crept down into one and began to tug fiercely at the wiry hair that covered the inside of the ear. The giant snapped up groggily, and reflexively brought his mace up, which he had gripped while sleeping. The mace thudded against his skull, cracking it open. Rupert hung on as the giant slid off his barn, stone dead
From that point in, his neighbors treated him with more respect and...
He claps and chortlebarks at the story, then;
"Are you from the land across the sea, the island where men either have arms too long or legs too long? I've heard of a small miem from there; he is a counsellor to another daimyo.....not the one who crucified the Peachling Girl's parents,.....he was kicked out of there because his arms AND legs were too short, but I understand he's much smaller than you....."
I just reread the "vision" spell description.....says Altai needs to pose it in the form of a specific question.I'll get a Tanuki tale and a Vision for Altai up a little later this evening.
"Hmmmmm.... Lessee." Altai grabs the blade with both hands and closes his eyes. "This might get a little rough. So - 'Who made this sword, and what is its purpose?'"
I just reread the "vision" spell description.....says Altai needs to pose it in the form of a specific question.I'll get a Tanuki tale and a Vision for Altai up a little later this evening.
"Hmmmmm.... Lessee." Altai grabs the blade with both hands and closes his eyes. "This might get a little rough. So - 'Who made this sword, and what is its purpose?'"
the vision,.....
an elven woman with green skin, lovely; she looks like she has recently seen great battle.....she is dragged in a yoke that clamps her neck and hands to the sides, by two knights in sparkling, crystalline armor.They take her before a throne in a grand room; it looks like a palace, though the walls were grown wood and not masoned by men.
On the throne sits a splendid elfin lady, her gown is like the navy blue starry sky at the very first instant of sunset.......her face is as three faces somehow; she is difficult to look upon.
By her side stands a robed figure; nothing of this figure is visible......just a dark robe.
The lady speaks; three voices, three mouths; "we find your utter arrogance and sublime hubris to be the pinnacle of detestability. And for your arrogance, you shall suffer now and for the rest of your finite days."
the robed figure reaches forth an arm covered fully even to the fingers if it has fingers, with the robe........eldritch energies flicker, and a beam of green flame blasts into the green maiden; she screams in pain.
And the sword, the very sword that Beldan even now possesses,......is pulled from the green elf maid's chest. She screams, and collapses.....the process did not slay her.
She looks up, with a face fully devoid of love.
To the robed figure; the three headed Queen speaks;
"Let her go wander the First World as a.....living......testament to the perils of unwarranted hubris. Cast that sword into the Oerth......and may it rest there until such a time as it shall serve its final purpose: to end this arrogant little slug's existence."
He claps and chortlebarks at the story, then;
"Are you from the land across the sea, the island where men either have arms too long or legs too long? I've heard of a small miem from there; he is a counsellor to another daimyo.....not the one who crucified the Peachling Girl's parents,.....he was kicked out of there because his arms AND legs were too short, but I understand he's much smaller than you....."
Pip ponders
"No, that isn't our land. We have many races, but none with out-of-proportion legs and arms. We have elves, which might be your miem, Hobbits such as myself who are short and hungry, Dwarves, who are short, stocky and love to delve for the riches of the earth. We also have many evil races such as Orcs and Hobgoblins that like to raid others for their living."
"There are dwarves here......they live under the mountains."
"Ghng." Altai shakes his head violently. "I don't know if I like this spell very much. However, it is both fast and powerful. So..."
"First of all, it is definitely not a tengu sword. I don't really think it's a sword at all - instead, it is part of the essence of some elf-like creature given sword form. I heard reference to the First World, so I guess fairies are involved."
"Gods! Does anyone have a drink?"
The tanuki hands you the sake bottle that should've been drained 10 times over by now, but always is full.
He doesn't laugh or grunt; he seems to be trying not to insult you.....
"Well den. Considerin' whur we wuz at when Beldin picked it up, ah guesses ah shuudn't be sur-prized."
Elgan seems strangely complacent. As if he is simply inured to such minor things as a talking raccoon-dog with a giant inflatable bean-bag, or tales of elf-miem's who meddle in the affairs of mortals. Which, indeed, after some of the thing he has seen recently, may be the simple truth.
"Yeh knows, muh mammy had a sure-fiah cure fer deh headaches. Er wuz dat fer deh hangovuhs? Ah getz 'im confuzed sumtahms,.."
"I have some ground bark that can get rid of the sake head.
I wouldn't be able to function without it."
"I learned to make it, from this priest that was mummifying himself in the woods."
"Useful trick, th... Um, self-mummification?! I, ah... My gast is flabbered, I guess."
"I think the shogun has outlawed the practice. He likes outlawing stuff."
Beldan draws the rapier and looks at it anew. “Looks like a sword to me,” he shrugs, re-sheathing it. “So ... should we give it back? I mean, I don’t like the thought of walking around with some elf’s essence, that’s not something you want to be without – is it?”
"interesting....." says the bean bagged one.
Drinks more sake.....
Huzzah!!!
"Sum hows, ah don' t'ink dat she's inna pozishun teh cumplain much. An' if'n yewr usin' it, we knows its inna good cause, raght?" Elgan offers as he sniffs and tastes the raccoon-person's herbal headache remedy, trying to identify the ingredients.
"Hmmm ... well, ok I guess."
"Useful trick, th... Um, self-mummification?! I, ah... My gast is flabbered, I guess."
"Yeah. Mortal types are crazy."
"Sum hows, ah don' t'ink dat she's inna pozishun teh cumplain much. An' if'n yewr usin' it, we knows its inna good cause, raght?" Elgan offers as he sniffs and tastes the raccoon-person's herbal headache remedy, trying to identify the ingredients.
It has aspirin in it, and other stuff you've never smelt. Some bitter. Some minty. Some bitter and minty.
"Hmmm ... well, ok I guess."
"It takes a minute to kick in."
Dude. I got dosed by a tanuki.
Huzzah!
"So, any wizards around these parts? Are they universally feared and reviled, or does it depend on the practitioner?"
“So are these samurai guys much good at fighting?”
Tanuki:
"Oh, yes.....there are wizards.
The shogun has a cadre of mages; some won their position by a spell duel to the death.
And samurai.....the name means "servant." If they are honorable, they serve their lord to the death.
They are the greatest swordsmen in all of the world.
Except, perhaps for tengu....."
he sniffs his nose at Beldan a little bit.
Beldan shrugs. “Greatest swordsman doesn’t mean that much when you’ve got a knife stuck between your ribs – hey, don’t look at me like that, I’m just saying ... I’d rather fight to live than fight to die you know?”
"Their philosophy is summed up like this: when given the choice between life or death,......choose death. Every time. And any important decision in life should be made in the span of seven exhalations.
I think they're kinda stupid myself."
tanuki swigs sake.....
Pip continues playing. The group notes a sour chord every so often as the sake does its work on his nervous system.
"Whoo! Now that stuff is some potent firewater. What do they make thast 'sake' stuff out of?"
"The humans make it from rice, but my little sake bottle never empties. It's magic; I don't know who made it, but I think I know why." he grins, as his beanbag slowly undulates and throbs.
Elgan shrugs at the headachidote, takes another swig of saki, licks his lips, and then chases it with a shot of antidote.
He grins.
"Now dat ain' haf bad!" He declares happily, (perhaps just a trifle louder than his usual voice, as the saki and antidote vie for control of his nervous system).
"Yeah. I gotta go outside and spray the trees," he says; and pops out the door to the little magical cottage.
Doc:
Weapons nicked with the sign of battle.
You trundled in from the beach to a nearby forest. You knew some of the trees here, but others were strange.....some trees were like segmented poles, a hundred feet tall and as small as 8 inches wide; with little bushes of sprigs coming off of the edges of the segments.
You don't know where you are, and you don't know where home is, but this isn't home........
So you've lived off of the land a few weeks.
It's evening, and you've just recently whilst hunting found a road of packed clay and pebbles; following it, you've found a small hut by the side of the road; a hut without so much as a yard much less an outbuilding of any kind; it looks really strange. No horses or any animals about the hut either. It looks as if it just appeared there. The hut doesn't fit.
Whispering: "This is a very strange place, Colu. I am glad that you are with me, faithful friend."
"So, what now?" Altai watches the tanuki wander out to relieve himself. "I can easily teleport us bck to Sasserine, but where's the fun in that? I'd like to see this shogun fellow and check out his pet wizards, myself."
"I'd also like to rustle up some extraplanar muscle to keep us a bit safer. A proper goal is usually necessary to recruit the smarter ones - unless, of course, you're happy with an elemental or some kind of Elysian dinosaur..."
Dok:
After a few minutes, a short pudgy man with a raccoon head comes out of the house. He looks like he has elephantiasis of the testicles as well......he walks across the road and relieves himself on a tree.
"So, what now?" Altai watches the tanuki wander out to relieve himself. "I can easily teleport us bck to Sasserine, but where's the fun in that? I'd like to see this shogun fellow and check out his pet wizards, myself."
"I'd also like to rustle up some extraplanar muscle to keep us a bit safer. A proper goal is usually necessary to recruit the smarter ones - unless, of course, you're happy with an elemental or some kind of Elysian dinosaur..."
Heh heh.....back to Sasserine.
I gotta get use to hi level magic.
Speaking in common... "Hail..." Dok, unsure as to what to call the thing, and not really comfortable using the term 'man', continues "hut-dweller!. What is this land called?"
Dok:
He turns; sniffs, and says "kon tiju Wa dashukaji....." then facepalms; then he pulls out what looks like a wand. He laughs a little; kinda a laugh bark, and walks towards you with the wand. His bean bag grows and drags behind him.
Oh;.....and.....I don't know Japanese; I'm just making words up.
"So, what now?" Altai watches the tanuki wander out to relieve himself. "I can easily teleport us bck to Sasserine, but where's the fun in that? I'd like to see this shogun fellow and check out his pet wizards, myself."
"I'd also like to rustle up some extraplanar muscle to keep us a bit safer. A proper goal is usually necessary to recruit the smarter ones - unless, of course, you're happy with an elemental or some kind of Elysian dinosaur..."
“No reason to hurry back to Sasserine,” says Beldan. “I’m a bit worried about Stig and Hnoss, but who knows where they ended up? Anyway, they can take care of themselves ... yeah, let’s check this place out. That story about the Domino guy crucifying that girl’s parents ... this place needs heroes.
“As for planar allies, that’s your department boss. Gjetost was a good guy, if you can find someone else like him, that’s great. I don’t know about having some dinosaur lumbering about the place for an extended period ... I don’t know, maybe we should take a few days to acclimatise, see what this place has in store for us – a goal as you say.”
Domino guy.....heh heh.
Quick drawing his bow, Dok knocks an arrow, but does not draw down on the creature. Waiting and watching to further determine its intentions.